The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-05

an Effort to Learn Something About Horse
Power--A Big Steamers Bill of Fare.

An Effort TO Learn Something About Horse
Power-A Big Steamers Bill of Fare.
Boston Globe.
So complicated a structure the steamship
scarcely admits of description in any reason
able space. Any of the hundred features
on board q large elmer" Is worthy the pen of
the best master of description. Consider, for
moment this one point: Each of them practi-
eaily represents a floating town, holding
within it's form from 1000 to 1,500
human beings. TO be fed, provided with
sleeping recommendations and surgical care,
and all the other necessaries and lux
uries of human existence, and while float
ing island, more populons to the square foot
than any bit of earth, it shall hold within itself
the means of motion, the capacity 70 produce
light and heat; and, though obedient to the
slightest wishes Of it's skllful guides, shall yet
be 80 solidly framed that the huge waves OF the
storm tossed Atlantic shall have appreciable
effect in straining it's parts Its stores of food
must provide for exceptional bills of fare, which
first-class shore hotel could scarcely hope to
rival; its capacity to carry cargo be such that it
might almost transports the material for a town
As well as its inhabitants, and not the least OF
Ill. it must carry fuel enough to burn at the
rate of 300 tons per day to produce the speed for
It's engines required to maintain its character.
These and hundred other details serve to
show what a mighty product of human skill OF
EVOLUTION, is that marvellous achievement,
q frst-class steamship. So intricate and yet
10 beautiful a piece Of mechanism is it
that human curiosity is never stated with its de-
scription; there is always something yet to be
known.
For instance. what is horsepower" The
fact that one OF the finest steamers afoat-the
Cunarder Etrura-exerts a $4,000 horse power
presupposes tremendous force, but the number
Df people who have forgotten what "horse-
power" means will be found to be enormous
Horse power" as used in expressing the force
Of motive power, is based upon the assumption
that horses in general perform certain constant
amount of work in a specified time. an assump-
lion which is widely erroneous. The funda
mental unit of work is the 'foot-pound." Thus,
taking one pound and one foot as the units OF
weight and distance, if one pound be raised one
foot, the work done is equal to one foot pound;
II ten pounds be raised nine feet the work done
Is ninety foot pounds, and SO on. In measuring
the work done by "horse power" the estimates of
engineers differed widely from each other, and
1t is not strange that the differing quality and
endurance OF horses had much to do with these
variations. James Watt the founder of the
Steam engine industry, based his calculations,
pyer 100 years ago. on the work of London dray-
horses working eight hours per day. estimated
ut 80, 900 foot-pounds per minute. D'Aubisson,
taking the work done by horses in ''whins" at
Freiburg, estimated the work done at 16, 440
foot-pounds, working eight hours day. De
Baeulers estimate was Al, 600; Smeaton's %, 900;
Tredgolds, n, 800 footpounds; 17.40O is thought
10 be near the truth But as it does not matter
In the least what number Is assumed. provided
that the same be invariably used, the original
estimate of Watt is still counted as horsepower.
In calculating the power of steam engine in
terms of this unit, the general rule Is ITO null
tiply together the pressure in pounds on square
Inch Of the piston: the area OF tho piston in
inches the length of the stroke in feet, and the
number strokes per minute; the result. di-
vided by SO. 900 will give the horse power; but it
10 necessary to deduct about ons-fourteenth of
the whole as an allowance for friction"
Having tried to get at what is meant by
HORSEPOWER" it will be well to look at what it
stands for in the OF some familiar ocean
steamships At the outset the novice is con-
fronted with two apparently conflicting state
ments and his lack OF technical knowledge
makes it hard to reconcile the differences. The
Cunarder Pavonia is set down as having engines
OF 700 horse power, and if, after the acquisition
of the meaning of horsepower" one is trying
to form some idea of the steamships en-
gine-power he looks at another list and sees the
same Pavona set down as of 1000 horsepower.
Here is difference with vengeance between
nominal and indicated" the standard and the
actual potentalties of horse powers.
Some idea of the money spent for provisions
In Liverpool and New York by the Cunard COM
pany NAV be gathered from the Etrurias bill of
fare. For a single passage to the westward the
Etruria, with 547 cabin passengers and a crew of
PSI persons, had, when leaving Liverpool on the
28th OF August. 1886, the following quantities of
provisions: 1850 pounds fresh beef, 200 pounds
corned beef, $500 pounds mutton, $50 pounds
lamb. $50 pounds veal, $50 pounds pork, 1000
pounds fresh fish, 600 fowls, 300 chickens, 100
ducks, SO geese. so turkeys. 200 brace grouse, 10
tons potatoes 80 hampers vegetables, 220 quarts
icecream, 200 quarts milk, and IL 500 eggs. In
groceries for the round voyage of twenty-five
days: $50 pounds tea 1000 pounds Coffee 1000
pounds white sugar, 2, 800 pounds moist sugar,
$50 pounds pulverized sugar, 1.50O pounds
cheese, 2, 900 pounds butter, g. 500 pounds ham,
and 900 pounds bacon. The foregoing seem
enormous quantities. but very little was left up
on the ships arrival in port. In year these
figures foot up enormously. The Cunard fleet
consumes in twelve months 1855 sheep. 1900
lambs, 2,474 oxer. This is equal to 2091, $50
pounds, or four pounds per minute; 831. COB eggs
for the year must keep the hens busy-they are
eaten at the rate of II per minute; 81, 600 pounds
of tea, and II, 10 pounds of coffee sweetened by
296 100 pounds of sugar; "a O75 fowls, go ducks,
2 200 turkeys, 1900 geese. Personal cleanliness
ought to be assured by the use of 31.3l2 tablets
Pears soap, 3.484 pounds of Windsor soap, ten
ions yellow soap. The passengers annually
drink and smoke 8. 030 bottles, and l76l3 half
bottles champagne, ID 94l bottles and 1910 half
bottles claret g. 200 bottles other wines, 489, 344
BOTTLES ale and porter. 174921 bottles mineral
waters. "a, 400 bottles spirits. "a, 800 pounds
bacco, g. $40 cigars, Sc S75 cigarettes. The beef
requires over O ton of mustard to keep it COM
pany, and with this lively fact leave the
phip.